Midnight Highway
by Ashleigh-HJ
Summary: A story of realisation and friendship. Carter returns to Chicago where old loves, lives and feelings play on his mind. Starts and ends Luby but has strong Carby reminders.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Midnight Highway

Author: Ashleigh

Disclaimer: I don't own them anymore...my mum said they were too messy to I had to give them up tp NBC. Shame

Spoilers: anything post "Darfur"

Rating: PG

Category: JC/AL/LK

Summary: A story of realisation and friendship. Carter returns to Chicago where old loves, lives and feelings play on his mind. Starts and ends Luby but has strong Carby reminders.

Author's Notes: I have been formulating this thing since before This Little Star was finished. Once that was _finally_ completed I spent a good few weeks working on this. If you can, download the song "Midnight Highway" by Daphne Loves Derby. It seems to run hand and hand with the fic, it will prob give you a better understanding of the fic as well.

--

When he arrived in Chicago the last thing on his mind was going to county but somehow, in spite of his jetlag he was itching to get out of his cold house.

He stood at his bedroom window watching over the silent city; Chicago was always beautiful at night. There was a strange smell in the air and it was what he had expected granted his house hadn't been lived in almost a year. Everything was still the way he left it; only now covered with a thick layer of dust.

There was something almost unnatural about where he was, everything was solid, strong and clean; offering itself only as a contrast to his life on the other side of the world.

Everything here was different.

Chicago was cosmopolitan, vibrant, lively and in many ways your typical American city. For those first few hours he faced a culture shock having forgotten how things go in the land of the free – an austere difference to where he had come from where blood was shed over freedom.

County was his haven; a strange place where he could forget everything and anything and focus on his work. It was his sanctuary and it was merely minutes away from him. All that stood between John Carter and County General Hospital was a five minute car ride and his own fear. Not fear in the journey; but fear in the destination.

If he was to appear at County in the early hours of the morning he'd have to face the night shift and their relentless questions; wonderings and tales of everything he's missed. He wasn't ready for it; at least not until tomorrow when he had to make an appearance.

--

"…and with that in mind; we'd like to, once again, thank Dr Carter for his generous donation – without it none of this would have been possible."

There was a small applause; John Carter smiled and nodded his head at the others around the large conference table.

"Let's have a great launch tomorrow!" Kerry Weaver piped in at the end.

There was a blurry of men in suits shaking hands, nodding at one another before bidding each other farewell. John Carter found himself centre stage throughout all of this; smiling and talking briefly to almost everyone in the room. It was a surreal experience; being back at County. He felt as though he had stepped into a time machine and taken back almost a whole year. Nothing had changed; everything was still the way it was when he had left with, of course, several exceptions.

--

**_Flashback in Darfur_**

_It was humid, hot and sticky. The air was so humid that a haze formed over anything that lay still long enough. The entire landscape was barren, coated with a layer of sand; dirt and dust; everything seemed to have a brown coating. There were tents all around, filled with doctors, nurses, aid workers and an overwhelming amount of patients. Gregory Pratt finally understood what a heavy patient load looked like. _

"_Hey! You made it!" A familiar voice chimed. _

_Greg Pratt turned and faced his old colleague and greeted him with a hug. _

"_Hey man. So this is Darfur, huh?" _

_Carter smiled at Greg. _

"_Yeah, it takes a bit of getting used to. How was your flight? The journey?" _

_Pratt shook his head and sighed. "It was long…very long, but that doesn't matter since I'm here now" _

_Carter smiled again. _

"_Yeah…"Carter said. "…so lets get to work huh?" _

_Greg scratched the back of his head, looking out onto the scene that unfolded before him. He took a few moments before he answered; the time he needed to absorb where he was and what he was doing. _

"_Yeah…" He nodded before following his old friend into the frenzy that lay before him. _

_--_

_Pratt had been slowly introduced to the way of life in Darfur. His patient load started off small for the first few hours. Soon it crept up and up until he was doctor to some 20 patients. It had been a long, tiring and stressful day; he was physically and emotionally exhausted; yet at the same time he was desperate to do it all over again. _

"_Hey" He said as he sat down beside his old friend. _

"_Hey man." Greg replied. _

"_You look beat" Carter laughed a little. _

"_That I am!" Greg laughed along with him. _

_They sat for a while, catching their breath from the day behind them; preparing themselves for the next one. Both men sat staring at the ground; waiting for the other to speak._

"_So what's been going on with you? Where's that gorgeous woman of yours?" Greg asked. _

_Carter smiled. "She's in Paris; with her family right now." Carter looked sad as he finished his statement. Pratt looked at him with a questioning face. Carter shook his head before clearing his throat. _

"_We're just giving each other some space; trying to work out what we are to each other, you know?...but anyway, what about you? Still dating that girl from Ceasefire?" _

_Pratt smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Olivia's great."  
Carter nodded his head, smiling at his friend. _

"_So what about County? Susan? Abby? Luka?" Carter asked beady eyed; desperate to hear how everyone was back home. _

"_Uhh…Susan left. She got offered tenure somewhere else and she's gone." Greg said quietly, remembering how close Carter and Susan once were. _

_Carter looked a little sad to hear this before he lifted his head and smiled. "That's great for her…What about everyone else?" Carter asked again. _

"_Everyone's fine; Luka and Abby are a little bit more than fine if you know what I mean" Pratt laughed at his own statement; Carter smiled along with him. It didn't take him too long to turn his smile into something completely different and as it did Pratt realised exactly who he just said that to. _

_Almost instantly the pressure on Carter's chest increased. Greg's comment caught him off guard; way off guard. A million and one questions raced through his mind as he tried to comprehend the situation. He could feel Pratt's eyes on him so he snapped out of it as best he could. _

"_They're…they're together?" He stuttered a little. _

"_Yeah" Pratt said quietly; nodding his head. _

_Carter laughed nervously as he scratched at the back of his head. _

"_That's great!" He exclaimed, trying to sound as sincere as he could. "…that's really great" He repeated, much quieter, almost to himself. _

_They both sat in silence for a while; Greg was allowing him to absorb the fact that Luka and Abby were back together; especially since he was yet to find out the next big thing. _

_Carter finally broke the silence.  
"So…is there anything else I need to know? Anymore shock revelations?" _

_Pratt found himself wincing when he asked that last question; he didn't think he could tell him the last piece of information – part of him knew Carter wouldn't take it all that well. _

_Pratt cleared his throat a little as he looked around him. He brought his eyes to Carters and looked straight at them._

"_She's pregnant"_

--

TBC

NB: What's the verdict? continue? Please, please tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Sorry this took so long to get to you but I just want to say thank you sooo much for all the reviews, I never in a million years expected a response like that so again, thank you so very much and please, please keep it up.**

Chapter 2  
--

"MORRIS!" Kerry Weaver shrieked down the hallway.

The young resident turned in his tracks and unwillingly faced his boss.

"What's up boss?" He smiled, acting innocent.

Kerry made her way closer to him with a handful of charts in her hand.

"I thought I told you to clear the board, it's barely 5 patients, do you think you could get your residents to clear it?" she shouted and before Morris had the chance to defend himself, or lie, she spoke again.

"And last time I checked they we're supposed to be working her today." She said as she pointed at a cluster of eager looking med students stuck in the corner by Triage.

"Get moving Morris." She shouted before handing him the pile of charts and making her way into the doctors lounge leaving Archie Morris with a blistering sore head.

When Kerry finally made it into the lounge she was greeted by the warm face of her chief attending.

"Good morning Kerry"

"Luka" She acknowledged him, nodding in his direction as she sat by the table.

He smiled in her direction but she turned away from him so fast she missed it. She turned her attention to the pile of books and paper that lay in front of her. She had a lot of work to do in the next 24 hours.

Luka stood at the counter, anxiously waiting for the coffee pot to boil. The room was deadly silent, except for Weaver turning page after page; speed reading everything that lay in front of her. When the pot had finally clicked Luka poured himself a cup of the thick drink before he cleared his throat and offered some to the woman in the room with him.

"Uh, yes. Thank you" She spoke as he poured coffee into the cup beside her.

"Thanks" She smiled at him before returning her attention to the books. He sat down beside her and glanced over what she was reading.

"Carter's centre opens tomorrow, huh?"

Weaver paused when he spoke before she lifted her head and nodded.

"Yes…and I have still got a lot of work to do before tomorrow. John Carter seems to think nothing of arriving the day before the opening; without important work done" Kerry complained. The stress was getting to her as she could feel herself getting worked up.

Luka smiled a little at her; noticing how stressed she was getting. It took him a few moments to realise what she had actually said.

"Carter's back?"

Weaver nodded.

"Have you seen him? How's he doing?" Luka grilled Weaver.

Kerry, knowing she wasn't getting any work done fast dropped what she was reading onto the table and put her head in her hands.

"He's good. New haircut…" She laughed a little. "He was in the meeting this morning." She could feel more questions coming on as she watched Luka's reaction; eager to see his old friend.  
"He said something about taking his time before he comes down here. He did promise he'd be down… he'll be happy to see you." She smiled again.

Luka, whether he knew it or not, was smiling also; he was desperate to catch up with Carter and to go spill the news that the infamous John Carter had returned.

--

Shortly after Weaver left the lounge and made her way up to her own office Luka crept out of the doctors lounge into a frenzied ER. The admit desk, like always, was the hub-ub of the entire department with doctors and nurses continually coming and going. It was a day like any other; Frank manned the phones and the computers – looking up any scandal he could on everyone who walked through the ER doors; Inez and Sam were comparing charts with an eye out for an attending with a pen; and of course, the residents hiding out; waiting for the storm to pass.

Dr's Barnett, Rasgotra and Lockhart stood with their backs turned to Luka, looking out onto their patients and co workers. He approached behind them, trying not to startle them when he reached across and planted his hand on Abby's shoulder.

"Hey you" he smiled, waiting for her to turn round.

"Hey" She smiled back at him, looking up at his eyes.

"Are you on your break yet?"

Abby nodded her head, still smiling at him. "Yeah, I'm just gonna head outside for some coffee in a sec. You want some?"

"I think I'll come with you" Luka replied, ignoring the fact that she was after her second cup of coffee for the day.

Together Luka and Abby walked outside into the ambulance bay briefly talking about their patients and how their day has been. Luka was desperate to tell her about his run in with Kerry and just who had returned.

"So I was talking to Kerry today…" Luka started

"Yeah? Hows she doing?" Abby interrupted. "I've not seen her in a while"

Luka smiled and nodded his head. "She's fine, she uhh…told me something…about someone" Luka struggled.

"There's scandal?" Abby enquired but before Luka could reply she launched herself into a guessing game.

"Is it about Chuny? Morris? Ohh…Morris and that surgeon?" Abby rattled on.

"Abby…" Luka tried to interrupt.

"Is someone fired?"

"Abby!" Luka raised his voice startling her a little.

"What?" She replied, somewhat nervous about what he was going to say.

He took a moment, pausing to catch his breath as he turned to face her.

"Carter's back"

* * *

Thanks for reading. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

First off I'd like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed. I've never had a response like this and it really is very much appreciated.  
I'm still very unsure of this story and whether or not it is going to work so please bear with me on this and if at any point you think it's not working please let me know.

Thanks again.

Ashleigh x x x

* * *

--  
_Your bitter goodbye is ringing through this quiet night,  
This idle hour just wont pass.  
I've never missed you this much, never thought I would,  
Didn't think you'd feel so far away._

--

His words hit her like a tonne of bricks, knocking her out of the state she was in into a completely different one. Her initial feeling was somewhat indescribable, almost as though she'd been told she only had a week to live. Her mind raced for a plausible response but by the time she could come up with something she had changed to yet another feeling. This time she was happy; eager to see her long lost companion. Luka's eyes were piercing through her although he couldn't read what was going on. She had remained still, stunned for the better part of two minutes…even though it seemed like much longer. He watched her space out and for a while it looked like she was gone.

She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away; a feeling at reminded her of who she was and where she was. A feeling that had her longing to run and never stop. What did he mean that _Carter was back?_ Back at County? In Chicago? …and for how long? Her head was spinning; desperate for answers and maybe; just maybe a part of her was wanting to see him.

She slowly pieced herself back together; aware that Luka was now watching her intently.

"Are you ok?" He asked her.

She sighed as she found herself frantically looking around her.

"I uhh…I'm gonna go take a walk…I dunno; maybe down to the river…I uhh; you should get back. Umm…I'll, uhh, catch you around?" She stuttered; much like she always did when she was nervous.

Luka smiled at her and nodded his head.  
"Yeah; ok"

She smiled back at him and walked off, out of the ambulance bay and round the corner.

---

It was the most serene place of the hospital, the only place anyone could go to get away from the madness, the storm. It was where he had gone as a med student, and even as a doctor, when everything went wrong or got too big for him to deal with. It was the only place to think without the fear of being criticized. She had done the same.

The routine cup of coffee was made all the more powerful when it was drunk on the rooftop. The Chicago skyline offered itself as the perfect canvas to lay all your burdens on.

Together they had shared many significant moments up there. He proposed up here and she practically laughed in his face. In many ways it had become tainted.

John Carter stood at the edge, his cup of coffee rested on the wall as he leaned over and watched the city pass him by. It was quiet, with only the distant traffic noise as his company. The dark rooftop posed a stark contrast to the lively, vibrant city that lay before him; everything about it had become alien to him.

His ears were filled with old familiar noises: sirens, the el and that old familiar noise of the heavy door opening and then slamming shut – reminding him that he was no longer alone.

"So the rumours are true" a quiet voice spoke from behind him. He took his attention away from the city and focused on the voice…a voice he had tried to forget.

"I had to come see for myself…"  
The voice was soft, just like he had remembered it. In the instant she spoke every detail about her flooded back. He could see her so clearly as though she was right infront if him. A face he had long since seen was now in the front of his mind.

He could feel her eyes on him, he could picture them burning into his back; begging him to turn around. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, to acknowledge her being there. If he was to do that he'd have to see the one thing he knew he couldn't bare.

Instead she moved, edging her way closer to the wall he was stood at. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the wall as she turned to look at him.

"Hey" She smiled, offering him a cup of coffee.

He had to look at her now.

He took a deep breath and turned his head so he was facing her. She was beautiful, just how he had always remembered her. His eyes darted up and down her face, familiarising himself with the changes she had made. Her hair was different, she had gotten bangs and she was wearing her make-up a little differently. Her big brown eyes would never change; they always captivated him. He found himself staring at them and at her as she stared back. Both, in their own unique way were familiarising themselves with their long gone friend.

"Hey back" He finally spoke before allowing the silence of the rooftop to envelope them again.

"It's warm out, huh?" She sighed; drifting the conversation away from where it was bound to be heading.

He smiled, nodding his head before replying.

"I guess. It's a far cry from the Sudan though" He joked; rearing the conversation in. She laughed a little; forcing her attention onto the wall, the city – anywhere but him.

"I can only imagine"

She turned to face him and him to her. They watched one another, smiling at the faces they had almost forgotten.

They remained like this until it became uncomfortable – which didn't take long. Her eyes were full of questions as were his; he was all to eager to hear about her new life.

She was leaning onto the ledge in a way that almost hid her bump. It was more that likely this was intentional.

The silence was beginning to get unbearable. He was reaching inside himself to ask her about the baby; about Luka and her new life but part of him; a massive part of him; couldn't speak those words.

She sighed, readying herself to speak.  
"So I hear the centres opening soon. That's great!"

"yeah…" He replied, running his hand through the back of his messy hair.

"…the official launch is tomorrow" He smiled.

She smiled back at him; genuinely happy,

"umm…" he cleared his throat. "…you're more than welcome to come…you…and Luka" He spoke that last part with caution.

She was startled; she hadn't expected their relationship to have been brought up so soon. She hadn't even expected him to have known already. She felt awkward, and almost subconsciously she found herself beginning to stand up right again; putting her pregnant belly on show.

He looked down at her; all of her and he felt a part of him ache. He felt as though one of his heart strings had been pulled on so hard it broke…and he didn't know why.

She was his; she hadn't been his for a long time and she'd never be his again. For a moment he felt bad, wondering if this was how she felt when she seen Kem.

Had she felt betrayed? A part of him did. He had moved on first. Leaving her behind and he didn't think to look back. If he had done he would have seen that she was still hurting; still feeling betrayed.

"Thanks John" she said softly.

"Have you seen him yet?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

He shook his head; looking sad.

"He'll be happy to see you" She said, again smiling at him.

He smiled back.

"I was planning on heading down to see everyone anyway…how's he doing?"

"he's good!" She replied quickly.

"He's uhh…he's chief attending now…" She continued.

"Yeah, Pratt told me in Darfur. He filled me in on a lot actually." He said; drifting his eyes down to her bump.

She watched him look at her; feeling his eyes on her stomach. She cleared her throat; feeling as though she needed to say something, anything; maybe even deal him the courtesy of hearing it from her as well.

Did she even owe him that? Technically she didn't. He never told her about his baby, she found out with a sonogram picture waved in front of her face; on the first day she's seem him since he disappeared back to Africa. Maybe she was being childish and bitter, clinging onto something that was so in the past. Maybe it was time to let that go; time to let him go…

Suddenly her thought train was cut short when she found feel her pager going off in her pocket. She blushed a little as she reached into her pocket to pick it up.

"The ER?" He asked; having watched her.

She sighed. "Yeah…I was uh due off my break ten minutes ago" She laughed a little.

He smiled at her before diverting his eyes to the floor – realising that their conversation was going to be cut short long before he had gotten to saying what he really wanted to say.

"I better go…" She said quietly; looking at him.

He lifted his head and nodded. "Yeah…"

She smiled at him as she lifted her hand and awkwardly waved at him before walking off.

"hey Abby!" He shouted.

She turned back round to look at him.

"About tomorrow…I'd really like it if you were there" He smiled.

She blushed a little; smiling to herself and very grateful that there was practically no lighting up on the roof.

"I uhh…I'm not so…uhh" she started to stutter. "What time?"

He smiled; for a moment he thought she'd turn him down. "Twelve o clock. You remember where it is?"  
"Yes" She nodded her head. "…but I uhh…I can't make any promises"

"I understand" He smiled before watching her walk off again. He turned back round to watch the city and just as he heard the heavy door opening she shouted out to him.

"Carter!" He turned around.

"It's great to see you" She smiled at him looking into his eyes for a short moment before darting through the door leaving him, once again, alone up on the roof with his thoughts.

-----

* * *

Thanks yet again. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: For any of you that are still interested, the lack of updates is down to me. I lost all interest in this fic but, thankfully (or not, depends on how you look at it!) I've decided to carry on with it.**

**Part III**

**--**

There was a fluttering of applause slightly covering the sound of the many camera flashes clicking. The sun was shining on what was a glorious day in June as near one hundred people stood outside the brand new building for what was to be Chicago's first aids clinic. Hospital executives and doctors stood on a small stage outside the door smiling; generously allowing for photographs to be taken. A small cluster of doctors stood in the audience, smiling at the faces they knew on the stage; full of pride that this day had finally come.

"…on behalf of John Carter and his donation from the Carter Family Foundation; you are all standing before what we hope will become the first of many – county run aids clinics." A man spoke from the podium.

There was then a shuffling of people before a much younger man took the stand.

"Thank you Dr. Anspaugh. I want to take this moment to thank you all for coming down here today; especially when I know you'd all much rather be at the beach or at the pier." There was a slight laughter in from the crowd. "But, anyway. This centre has become my special project and it means a lot to me; and if you know me you'll know why." He said, nodding his head in the direction of the doctors in the audience; his friends. "Today marks a very special moment in not only my own life; but in the history of county hospital and with that in mind I'd now like to declare the centre open!"

A strong applause emerged from the audience as John Carter stepped off the podium and stage; heading for his friends – politely shaking peoples hands on the way.

He had seen her from the stage; not that it was hard. She wasn't easy to miss. She had stood next to him the whole time; leaning into his side, holding his hand and smiling any time he so much as moved. To say Carter was jealous would only have been the tip of the iceberg. He put it down having never seen her with anyone else after they had broken up; that guy on the motorcycle didn't count even though he felt awful after seeing that.

He smiled as he approached them; reaching his hand out to offer her a small hug.

"Hey! You made it" He beamed, grabbing her at her waist and pulling her in; kissing her cheek.

Before she could respond he had moved onto shaking Luka's hand before quickly hugging his Croatian friend.

"You're looking good!" Carter said to him; smiling as he gripped his shoulder.

Luka smiled.

"You're looking great too!" Luka replied, happy to see the face of a friend he had never forgotten.

Soon Pratt, Neela and Morris tailgated each edging their way in to greet their friend and ex co-worker.

Carter busied himself greeting the others; exchanging quick hugs and compliments between them before returning to the side of Abby.

He looked down at her; smiling as she returned his smile. He found himself watching her for a bit longer than he should have done; especially considering who he was in the company of. He soon realised this and that he also had a lot more people to meet.

"Hey, I've got to meet some more people…can you guys stick around?" He asked the small grouping of doctors.

Before any of them could reply Carter was approached by an older man in a tweed suit. He soon wandered off in conversation with him; leaving the others alone.

The five of them shuffled their feet; eager to get back to work before they noticed for being late from lunch.

Soon, after noticing their discomfort at the situation Abby spoke.

"Do you guys not have to be back?"

"Yeah…" Pratt sighed before turning to look at Luka who was nodding his head.

"Are you sticking around?" Morris asked.

Abby smiled. "Yeah, you know I think I will" She said looking at Luka in a way; whether she had noticed it or not, asking his permission.

--

_So go past the lights and all the excuses.  
You could have left, sincerely yours.  
Don't you think it's obvious that I want to say more?_

--

He had heard "congratulations" and "well done" more times that any one person should in a day and it had only hit mid-day. It grew tiresome; the perpetual conversations of what good this will do for the city; the county; for medical care…but what good was it doing him. He was wasting what little time he had "back home" with people he didn't know; people who we're interesting in him, only his money. He knew his centre was "doing a good thing" and that it was "beneficial" but he didn't want to hear it; at least not from them.

As time went on the conversations died out; as the crowd moved indoors for a more detailed look at the building and all its equipment. Before he knew it he was left alone for the first time all day. Part of suspected that there would be someone else waiting to creep out and approach him – so he turned his head over his shoulder and he looked; glancing in both directions…and that is when he saw her.

Truth be told he had forgotten that his friends had come to wish him luck on this important day. She was standing alone, back turned away from him, looking up at the building that lay before her. She must have been comparing it to the last time she visited the site, when nothing more than foundations stood and heavy wired fencing blocked off the entire area.

Since that time it had grown; not yet having become what he wanted it to be – it will take time for that. But it had grown up from nothing and now, once again, he was able to see what his name and his family could really achieve. For that he was very proud.

He made his way over to her and caught her attention.

"Hey" He smiled as he walked towards her.

"Hi" She replied; lifting her hand and giving a small wave.

He began to look around; curious as to where the others had seemingly vanished to.

"…they had to get back to the ER. They were only out on their lunch break" She smiled.

He nodded.

"What about you?"

"I'm not on today" She replied hastily.

"Maternity leave?" He asked; smiling and focussing his eyes on her belly.

She caught him looking and smiled as she placed her hand over her bump.

"No; not yet"

"How come you didn't go inside?" He asked.

"Well I didn't think I'd fit in" She smirked. "I've not got any elbow pads"

He laughed at this remark.

"Come on! I'll give you a tour and we can really catch up!" He continued before placing his hand on her back as he walked into the brand new building.


End file.
